Recipe swap: Chinese New Year

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This week we'd love to see your recipes for dishes to serve at Chinese New Year. Whether you make the perfect laba congee or the yummiest tang yuan, share your recipes by noon on Wednesday 22 January and we'll print the best in the paper on Saturday 1 February.

Thanks to Recipe swap regular TwinnyDip for suggesting a great theme! Don't forget that all recipes – and photos if you have any – must be your own.

A favourite at Chinese restaurants, not to be confused with Peking Duck. Rather than use the traditional ‘boil and deep fry’ method, I’ve adapted the French method of slow cooking the duck in fat. The ‘confited’ meat is deliciously moist and tender, with a distinctly Chinese flavour.

Ingredients

6 duck legs

500g duck or goose fat (enough to completely cover the duck)

2 tblsp coarse sea salt

1 tblsp 5 spice powder

2tblsp Szechuan peppercorns

6 star anise

3 pieces of orange peel/zest, each about 5cm

4 fat garlic cloves, crushed

Rub the duck legs with the salt and 5 spice powder. Place in a dish with the Szechuan peppercorns, star anise, orange peel, and garlic. Cover and refrigerate overnight (12 hours). Serves 4

Preheat the oven to very low, 110ºC

Brush the marinade ingredients off the legs, and rinse off the excess salt. Pat dry.

In a heavy bottomed, oven proof dish that can accommodate the duck in 1 layer, heat the duck or goose fat until it starts to bubble.

Add the duck legs, with some of the marinade ingredients, and bring back to a very gentle simmer (a few bubbles rising in the fat)

Cover, and cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 2.5 hours, checking every now and again for ‘doneness’ (the meat fibres should start to flake easily)

At this stage, you can cool the duck legs in the fat, and refrigerate them until you want to serve (they will keep for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.)

Remove the legs from the fat (don’t worry if a little fat remains on the legs), and gently sautee in a dry pan until the skin of the duck has crisped up and coloured.

Shred the duck, and serve with the traditional julienned spring onions and cucumber, Hoisin sauce and pancakes.

When Malaysian Chinese people found out that I was born in the Year of the Dragon, they cooed and petted me. "Pantai" (clever) they said. You will be very lucky, they said. Very auspicious. Noble, they said. (Annoying, bossy, old big head, said my little brother). Arriving in KL during autumn harvest festival, we walked through a market, where all the stalls were bedecked with bright jewel-like coloured lanterns. The dragon lantern I chose was the perfect specimen – a neon pink and gold cellophane behemoth. And from this moment on I became a girl obsessed.

These crumbly Malaysian dragon cookies welcome in the new year and are a delicious way to soothe my need for dragon kitsch.

These biscuits are very similar to Danish butter cookies or Viennese swirls, except for the addition of dried milk powder. I have also added a little grated orange zest. It's not traditional, but oranges are considered very lucky at Chinese New Year; frankly I need all the luck I can get!

With luck, these cookies will make you healthy, wealthy and wise!

GONG XI FA CAI

250g plain flour, sifted (less 2 tbsps)

250g, butter, softened

1 egg yolk

50g icing sugar, sifted

50g cornflour, sifted

2 tbsp dried milk powder

orange zest, very finely chopped

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

red food colouring

piping bag

star-shaped icing nozzle

1 toothpick

Preheat oven to 160C.

Cream butter with icing sugar until very pale. Add egg yolk and beat until well-combined.

Before baking, poke 2 holes in each "dragon" to make eyes, with a toothpick. Use same toothpick, dipped into food colouring, to fill in the eyes. (They made need topping up again with colour after baking.)

There is a delightful chinese restaurant called 'Chinabrenner' in Leipzig, Germany, where I live. Other than in Australia and China, I haven't discovered such an amazing chinese place. This is my attempt at their famous cold broccoli dish.

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets and the stalk peeled and choped into matchsticks

60ml vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, minced finely

1 1/2 tsp hot chili flakes

1 Tbsp Shao Shing Wine

2 1/2 Tbsp Soy sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp Rice vinegar

1/2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar or dark chinese vinegar

1 tsp Chili bean sauce

1 tsp Szechuan pepper, toasted and roughly ground

1 tsp sugar

1. Bring a pot of water and a teaspoon of salt to boil. Add the broccoli and boil for 30 seconds only. Drain and refresh under cold water to stop them cooking. Let the broccoli drain well.

2. In a small frying pan, heat the oil in a medium heat. Add the minced garlic and chili flakes. As soon as they start to sizzle, turn the heat down to low and let them soften for 10 minutes.

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Add the garlic and chili oil and whisk to combine.

4. Put the well drained broccoli in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing. Chill for an hour in the fridge and serve.

Traditionally eaten on the first day of the New Year, each ingredient bestowing its own symbolic token to the mix, this is one big pot of health, wealth and happiness. What I love most about this dish is the contrast in textures. There’s the smooth slipperiness of the cellophane noodles, the ‘meaty’ chewiness of the shiitake mushrooms, the gelatinous crunch of the cloud ear fungus, tender spinach, and crisp mange tout. Feel free to make substitutions - nothing is set in stone! Serves 4.

Ingredients

6 dried Shiitake mushrooms, stalks removed

6 dried ‘cloud ear’ or black fungus

100g mung bean (‘cellophane’) noodles (dry weight)

8 cubes of fried tofu, each cut into 3 slices

80g mange tout

1 carrot, julienned

Small bunch of spinach, washed and drained

A slice of fresh ginger

1 tsp sugar

1 tblsp shaoxing rice wine

1 tblsp sunflower oil, for frying

2 tblsp sesame oil

2 tsp white sesame seeds

Salt, to taste

Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms and cloud ear fungus by soaking in boiling water for 30 minutes. Trim any tough or hard bits off the fungus, and cut the shiitake in half, or quarters if very big. Rinse both to remove any traces of grit. Place in a small pan with enough water to cover, add the shaoxing wine, ginger, sugar, and a good pinch of salt. Cover, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Drain.

Rehydrate the mung bean noodles by soaking in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain, and refresh in cold water.

At the age of eighteen, the Restoration rake and all-time bad boy about town, the Earl of Rochester wrote:

"Custom does often reason overrule

And only serves as reason to the fool"

This always struck me as rather wise, considering what a mess he made of his own life. I suspect he was often served up as a warning to others as to what happens when you don't follow convention.

What you might be wondering does a 17th century roué have to do with Chinese New Year? Well, it had occurred to me that while food customs and traditions are often very enjoyable, what happens when a society or culture changes over centuries? When we have access to new ingredients, techniques or technology? Do we need to carry on doing the same old thing or can a new tradition genuinely come about, when it hasn't been promoted by governments, PR and Marketing, or the food industry?

Chinese immigrants brought their love of fish and raw fish salads with them to Malaysia and Singapore in the early 20th century. But it wasn't until some 50 years ago that a small group of chefs in Singapore invented and standardised their own raw fish salad to celebrate Chinese New Year. Eventually it took off and by the 1970s had become part of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Malaysia and Singapore. This is the perfect example

As you will know, the food eaten at Chinese New Year is very symbolic. Fish represents abundance. Citrus represents luck too.

This is a fabulous interactive sometimes it feels a bit like riotous assembly - all your guests stand around the table to help to toss the salad and mix up the salad with their chopsticks. (If there are lots of you, you may need to stand at a 45 degree angle and only use one chopstick to toss the salad . . .) Apparently, the higher you toss the salad, the greater your luck and prosperity in the New Year (and yes, it can get messy; your fortune will be scattered further!). Toast the New Year, shouting out "lo hei" (or "toss the fish") as the salad is mixed will bring good luck.

Often jellyfish or stir-fried tofu is added, for texture rather than flavour (so best of luck with that!)

Koreans also celebrate Chinese New Year. Funnily we call it "Old New Year", probably because the moon calendar hasn't been used in a very long time. Unfortunately I haven't been in Korea to celebrate the holiday in over ten years, as I'm never there during winter, but I have a very fond memory of the holiday. My grandmother makes these mung bean pancakes every year. They are so delicious and crispy, and I don't actually know anyone else who can make them as well as my grandmother. My mother claims that one gets better at making the pancakes with age, because apparently they weren't as good when my grandmother was younger.

Traditionally, these pancakes are filled with Kimchi, (Korean fermented cabbage pickle), minced pork, and dried fiddlehead ferns. This recipe is my vegetarian version. Someday I hope I would be able to make them just as heavenly as my grandmother.

Korean mung bean pancakes

Makes: 8-9 small pancakes

1/2 cup hulled and split mung beans (can be found at asian or indian grocers)

4 Tbsp rice flour (brown rice flour works, too)

A big handful mung bean sprouts

1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and re-hydrated in hot water.

1/2 small onion

3/4 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1 spring onion, green part only, sliced thinly

1 mild fresh red chili, sliced thinly

4 Tbsp vegetable oil

For the dip

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 Tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

1.5 tsp sugar

3 Tbsp soy sauce

A pinch of chili flakes

1. Rinse the mung beans in several changes of water. Soak them in plenty of water for about twelve hours.

2. In a small pot, bring water to boil. Add the mung bean sprouts and cook for one minute.

3. Drain and rinse under cold water until cooled. Squeeze them between your hands to get water out as much as possible. In a small bowl, mix the sprouts with a pinch of salt and sesame seeds.

4. Drain the shiitake mushrooms. Squeeze out the water and slice the caps finely. Discard the stems.

5. Drain and rinse the mung beans. Add them to a mixer or food processor, along with water, salt, onion and rice flour. Grind them into a fine paste. The paste should be a medium-thick porridge consistency. Transfer the paste into a large bowl, and add the mushrooms and mung bean sprouts. Mix well.

6. Heat the oil in a none-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add about 1/4 cup of the pancake paste. Flatten them with a spoon. Lightly press in a slice or two of chili and spring onion on top. Flip once the bottom is golden. Cook the other side until golden.

7. For the dip, let the onion slices macerate in vinegar and sugar for about an hour. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

This beautiful dish (鱼生 in Chinese) signals the coming of the New Year in Singapore and Malaysia. Hard to find in the UK, this year I brought it to my North London office and celebrated with my colleagues.

Assemble the dish with a mound of carrots in the centre, then the rest of the shredded vegetables in little piles around it, to create a colourful rainbow effect. The leader amongst the diners then adds the fish, the crackers and the sauces, naming auspicious wishes as each ingredient is added.

Raw fish for abundance

Lime for good luck

Five spice powder and pepper for good fortune

Sweet sauce for a honeyed year

White radish for success

Carrot for eminence

Ginger for good luck

Oil for good fortune and luck

Peanuts for prosperity

Crispy crackers for prosperity and gold

Pomelo for luck and auspicious value

Then the whole table joins in. Everyone dips in with their chopsticks and tosses the ingredients together, lifting them high and crying "lo hei” – Cantonese for "tossing luck". The higher the toss, the greater the prosperity.

NOTE: STRAINING THE BATTER IN STEP 4 IS CRUCIAL FOR A SMOOTH PUDDING WITHOUT LUMPS.

About the recipe: Lin Go (in Cantonese) or Nian Gao (in Mandarin) is considered good luck because the name is homonym to the second and third character in the new year greeting phrase - ' Lin Lin Go Sing' ( in Cantonese) or 'Nian Nian Gao Sheng' ( in Mandarin). It literally means advancing or reaching higher and further in career and prosperity every year, year after year. As with other typical Chinese New Year treats (such as laughing sesame balls which represents well wishes for happiness and smiling faces all year round), food symbolism, i.e. eating the right food at the right time is crucial especially during the festivities of the New Year.

Yes, Lin Go, or glutinous rice pudding, is time consuming to make. But apart from mixing the batter at the beginning (which takes 10 - 15 minutes), once you stick it into the steamer there really is not much work to do! Once set, dip slices of sticky rice cakes in beaten egg and fry them in a bit of oil and serve with Chinese tea for breakfast on new year day!

Our non- Chinese friends were not convinced by the looks of these. They may seem really heavy and dense when you cut them into slices, but once fried with eggs, these sticky and chewy slices of goodness are so irresistible!

1. Sift the glutinous rice flour and wheat starch into a large mixing bowl.

2. Add rock candy and water into a large deep saucepan. Bring to boil. When the sugar has dissolved, add the vegetable oil. Mix well. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 - 10 minutes.

3. Prepare the steamer by filling the bottom layer or the wok with water. Bring to boil.

4. Strain the syrup mixture into the flour mixture slowly, stirring the batter vigorously at all times. Break up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Mix well.

5. Fill cake tins upto 75 – 80% full. Place a rack in the steamer and then place the cake tin onto the steaming rack. Ensure that boiling water is not touching the steaming dish / cake tin.

6. Cover the steamer and steam at moderate heat for 2 hours. Remove from heat and let cool overnight in the fridge.

7. At breakfast the next day, cut 20 slices of puddings (at this stage the pudding will be really hard)

8. Coat the slices of pudding in beaten eggs.

9. Heat oil in a shallow frying pan at medium to high heat. When hot, fry the coated pudding slices in the pan. Flip after 1 – 2 minutes. Cook for another 1 – 2 minutes or until they are slightly charred on the outside, restore their glutinous texture and the eggs are cooked through.

Jin Dui is a tasty and filling deep fried pastry that is a well-known treat from my home city, Hong Kong. Substituting red bean for chocolate chips may find more favour with fickle eaters, but I suggest that you stick with the original filling as I find they are already more than sweet enough!

I read somewhere that serving a whole fish is particularly auspicious at New Year, the head and tail symbolic of a good beginning and end to the year. Well, fish in any shape or form is always a favourite at my table, especially when it is as simple to prepare as this. Serves 3, or more if eaten as part of a New Year feast.

Cut the fish fillet into 2 or 3 pieces, so they fit on a microwavable dish or in a steamer basket.

Scatter the mushrooms on the dish/basket, and arrange the fish on top. Place 2 slices of ginger on each piece of fish.

Cover, and microwave on full power for 1minute, 50 seconds

Remove from the microwave, flip the fish over, being careful not to break the fillets, cover and microwave on full power for another 1 minute, 50 seconds (depending on the thickness of the fillets). If using a steamer, steam for 8 minutes.

Discard the slices of ginger, and transfer the fish to a serving dish. Top with the mushrooms.

Heat the oil, and gently fry the julienned ginger and sliced garlic until they start to colour and release their aroma. Add the soy sauce and the palm sugar. Keep on the heat just long enough for the sugar to dissolve. Off the heat, add the spring onion. Spoon the sauce over the fish. Serve immediately with steamed rice and Chinese greens or the colourful ‘monks vegetable’ that is traditional at New Year.

I just love the simplicity and flavour of some Chinese dishes, amazing taste experience with so little effort. The onion cakes and shrimp are one of my favourite snacks to indulge in whilst watching a good movie. The cakes are also delicious served with dipping sauces, and can be made smaller, or larger, to suit the occasion.

Green Onion Cakes

500g plain flour

250ml ice cold water

60g soft pork lard

Oil for frying

Filling

12 spring onions, finely chopped

Pinch of salt

2 tsps. sesame oil

2 tsps pork lard

Combine the flour, water and lard in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Knead for about 5 minutes until elastic. Cut into 10 equal pieces, cover with a cloth and leave for 20 minutes.

Shape the dough pieces into rounds and roll out into thin ovals, about 25cm long and half as wide.

Mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl and spread down the middle of each pastry oval. Roll up the ovals to make a sausage shape, pinch the ends together to seal, then coil the sausage into a spiral. Flatten each cake gently with the palm of your hand. Cover the bottom of your pan with oil and fry the cakes over a moderate heat until gold and crispy.

Crystal Shrimp

Raw shrimp, about 24, shelled and deveined

2 tblsp Ginger wine

Pinch of ground white pepper

1 tsp grated, fresh ginger

1 tsp chopped, fresh red chilli

2 tablesp Sesame oil

Shredded spring onion and carrot flowers to garnish

Combine the shrimp, wine, ginger, chilli and pepper. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a wok and stir fry the shrimp and marinade for 1 - 2 minutes or until cooked. Garnish with the onion and carrot. Serve with the onion cakes and a selection of Chinese sauces.

In Chinese culture, food symbolism is really important especially during festive seasons. As the Chinese pronunciations for fish and surplus are homophones – they are both pronounced ‘yu’, fish is a must have during Chinese New Year. Eating fish during Chinese New Year symbolises having surplus / leftover money at year end. Further, serving the entire fish symbolises a good ‘start’ and a good ‘end’ to the year as represented by the head (pronounced “tao” in Cantonese) and tail (pronounced “may” in Cantonese) of the fish. This is because ‘tao’ (head) and ‘may’ (tail) are homonyms to ‘start’ and ‘end’ respectively! We know that to some a whole fish on the table is not exactly the most palatable, but you know what you have to do if you want extra cash and a good year from the beginning to the end for the upcoming year of the horse (starting 31st January 2014 and ending 18th February 2015)!

Regardless of your choice of whole fish versus fish fillet, this is truly an effortless recipe that can be prepared in no time. The fish is topped with chopped fermented black beans and minced garlic before steaming. Once steamed, all you have to do is pour hot oil and soy sauce over it before serving.

Serves 4 - 6 people alongside other dishes in a typical Chinese meal.

INGREDIENTS

1 grey mullet, about 450g, scaled, gutted, washed and patted dry (use 350g fish fillet if you absolutely can’t stomach the idea of serving fish head and fish tail to your guests!) - use see bass or cod if you can't find mullet

30g fermented black beans, available in Chinese supermarkets

10g cloves garlic, minced

1 cm chunk ginger, sliced

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

DIRECTION

1. Bring water to boil in a steamer at high heat. Be sure the water does not touch the bottom of the steaming rack. Cover the steamer.

2. While the water is boiling, rinse and drain fermented black beans (this will remove some of the saltiness of the fermented beans). Chopped them roughly and mix with the minced garlic and 1 tsp vegetable oil. Set aside.

3. Place sliced ginger into the 'stomach' of the fish. This will help eliminate the fishy smell and taste.

4. Place the fish onto the steaming plate. Top the fish with the black bean and garlic mixture.

5. When the water in the steamer is boiling hot, place the steaming plate with the fish onto the steaming rack. Cover and steam for 8 - 10 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. The flesh will be flaky when it is ready.

6. Remove the fish from the steamer when it is ready. Drizzle 1 Tbsp soy sauce evenly over the fish. Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a pan or wok over high heat. When hot ( this will take about 30 seconds), drizzle over the fish evenly. Serve immediately alongside other dishes with steamed rice.

"Siu Hao Jo" literally means laughing / smiling cookies. The name of these delicious cookies is derived from the 'cracks' that develop as these cookies are deep-fried, thus replicating the action of laughing / smiling. In Chinese culture, food symbolism - eating the right food at the right time, especially during festive seasons - is extremely important. In this case, these cookies represent well wishes for happiness and smiling faces all year round - a must have in the traditional Chinese 'Complete Box' during Chinese New Year. Without a doubt, these delicious cookies will keep you smiling, at least until you run out of them! Great served over Chinese tea or coffee if you preferred.

Note: Complete box is Chinese 'candy' box, in which we usually prefer to hold eight types (because the Chinese pronounciation of eight is similar to that of 'fa', which means 'be prosperous') of savoury snacks and sweet treats. This is served during guests visits during Chinese New Year.

Chinese roast duck is famously tricky for the home cook. Here is my cheat’s version, equally delicious and indulgent, notwithstanding. No bones to tackle, either. Serves 4, or more if eaten as part of a Chinese New Year feast.

Ingredients:

4 duck breasts

1 tblsp Chinese 5 spice powder

1 tblsp honey

1 tblsp pomegranate molasses

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to very hot, 230ºC

Score the skin of the duck in a criss-cross pattern. Season well on both sides with salt and pepper, and rub the flesh side with the 5 spice powder.

Cook, skin side up, on the top shelf of oven for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, gently heat the honey and pomegrante molasses until runny.

Remove duck from oven, and brush the skin generously with the honey mixture.

Place under a medium hot grill to crisp the skin, 7-10 minutes. You want the remaining fat to render before the skin burns or the meat overcooks (I like mine pink). Serve with steamed rice or noodles and bok choi or gai lan (Chinese broccoli).

Lunar New Year is also celebrated in Vietnam, where it's known as Tet. Thịt kho tàu or braised pork is a classic, hearty family dish that’s often part of a Tet spread; best spooned over rice and with some kind of pickled veggies to offset the richness.

You’ll need nước màu (caramel sauce) to make this: you can buy it at your local Asian market, but it’s far cheaper to make your own. See here at my website for instructions: http://aliettedebodard.com/recipes/nuoc-mau-caramel-sauce/.

Ingredients

-400g pork belly with skin on

-400g pork shoulder

-1 onion

-3 cloves garlic

-3 tablespoons nuoc mau (caramel sauce)

-2 tablespoons nuoc mam (fish sauce) or to taste

-33 cL coconut water

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon pepper

-Sugar (to taste)

-4 eggs

Instructions

Boil the eggs and peel them (you need to do this in advance, but you can start at around the same time you slice pork). Cut each egg in half lengthwise.

Cut the pork into small, chopstick-sized chunks.

In a cast iron pot or other thick-bottomed pan on medium heat, put the caramel sauce; add the pork, and turn for a few minutes until the meat is coloured. Then add the nuoc mam, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and the coconut water. There should be enough to cover the meat plus about 1 extra cm; add water or coconut water if not the case. Taste and adjust coconut water/nuoc mam/sugar if necessary–depends how sweet you want your meat.

Lower heat to low. Cover, and braise for at least 1h (the longer the better; 2h30 if you have time to spare).

Fifteen minutes before the pork is done, uncover, add the eggs–turning them around to make sure they’re coated in the sauce. Leave on low heat for 15 minutes. The sauce should have thickened a bit (but should still be liquid).

Chinese New Year marks the first day of the Lunar Calendar. Nian Gao is a delicate, steamed cake, traditionally served in many regions as part of the festivities. This version uses dried fruit of your choice, include whatever you like, dates, lychees.......

Serves 4

60 g caster sugar

50 g unsalted butter

2 eggs separated

40 g glutinous rice flour

1 tablespoon plain flour

200 ml milk

80 g dried fruit of your choice

Use some of the butter to grease a dish which will fit into your steamer.

In a bowl mix the remaining butter with the sugar, add the egg yolks and mix again.

Add half the glutinous rice flour, the plain flour and beat until smooth.Then add the milk and the rest of the glutinous rice flour and again beat until smooth.

Stir in the dried fruit.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until firm then fold them into the prepared mixture.

Place the mixture into the greased dish, place in a steamer over a pan of gently simmering water. Cover and cook for one hour.